A print control apparatus that transmits a print job to which print settings have been added to a printer to cause the printer to execute print processing corresponding to the print settings has been proposed. Here, a conflict may occur for the print settings set by the print control apparatus. The occurrence of a conflict means the occurrence of a discrepancy between the print settings. An example of such a conflict is that a printer cannot execute print processing for the combination of print settings made with respect to a page range to be subjected to print processing.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-32878 discloses a control device that performs processing to avoid a discrepancy between the pre-registered print settings using a module for avoiding the same when a conflict occurs for the print settings. With the aid of the control device, the module for data to be input via a user interface may be employed for processing for avoiding a discrepancy between data to be input without the intermediary of a user interface and alignment processing for all data in a shared manner.
In the commercial printing system workflow such as POD (Print On Demand) or the like, accommodation for a huge number of sheet types and sheet sizes is essential. Also, in a print control apparatus, the combination patterns of print settings have been increasing due to diversification of items for which print settings can be made. For example, in addition to a global setting, that is, a print setting that is common to all of the pages to be subjected to print processing, a print control apparatus may also set a print setting (exception setting), which is different from the global setting, for a specified page range.
As disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-32878, when processing for avoiding a discrepancy between the pre-registered print settings is performed using a module for avoiding the same, the following problems may occur:
(1) Processing for avoiding a discrepancy between print settings may differ for each type of printer. Thus, when printers of a plurality of types are employed, a print control apparatus needs to be provided with a module for avoiding a discrepancy between print settings for each type of printer. However, since the specifications differ between these types of printers, processing for avoiding a discrepancy between print settings performed by the print control apparatus may become inconsistent.(2) With an increase in the combination patterns of print setting, the development of a module, which is compatible with a plurality of types of printers and avoids any discrepancies between print settings, requires many man-hours.(3) When the combinations of print settings become enormous, some processing procedures performed by a module for avoiding a discrepancy between print settings may be omitted. Thus, a discrepancy between print settings, which must be avoided, may not be avoided.(4) Since some print control apparatuses need to accommodate an enormous number of combination patterns of print settings, a specification omission such as the fact that processing for avoiding discrepancy is not performed for a certain part of print settings may occur.